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Colombian American
Colombian Americans are citizens of the United States whom trace their nationality or heritage from the South American nation of Colombia.
Causes of migration
Economic problems and violence have led to an emigration of Colombians to the U.S., particularly South Florida , New Jersey (North Jersey), Queens County in New York City, the Washington DC metro area, eastern Long Island, and a small but significant community in California, mainly in the Los Angeles area. Jackson Heights in Queens County was heavily Colombian and Ecuadorian during the 80's, but other immigrant groups have settled in the area, mostly Mexicans. Colombians are among the largest South American immigrant groups to the U.S. Like other South American immigrants and unlike Central American and Caribbean Latino immigrants, Colombians tend to come from urban areas.
Settlements in the United States
The largest Colombian community lives in the South Florida area with a population of 138,768.
The top 25 US communities with the highest percentage of people claiming Colombian ancestry are:1) Victory Gardens, New Jersey 15.27%
2) Dover, New Jersey 11.27%3) The Hammocks, Florida 10.02%4) Central Falls, Rhode Island 9.94%
5) Montauk, New York 9.53%6) Doral, Florida 8.71%7) Country Club, Florida 8.63%
8) Morristown, New Jersey 7.98%9) Englewood, New Jersey 7.17%10) Virginia Gardens, Florida 7.16%
11) Key Biscayne, Florida 7.07%
12) Elizabeth, New Jersey 6.46%
13) Kendale Lakes, Florida 6.36%14) Weston, Florida 6.19%
15) Sunny Isles Beach, Florida 6.07%
16) West New York, New Jersey 5.82%17) North Bergen, New Jersey 5.77%
18) both Fountainbleau, Florida and North Bay Village, Florida 5.29%
19) Guttenberg, New Jersey 5.28%20) Richmond West, Florida 5.13%21) Bay Harbor Islands, Florida 4.72%22) Surfside, Florida 4.66%
23) Hialeah Gardens, Florida 4.62%24) Kendall, Florida 4.56%25) Union City, New Jersey 4.53%
Ethnic composition of Colombians in the United States
Ethnically, Colombians are a diverse population including Colombians of Indigenous descent, Afro-Colombians, Colombians of European descent . However, most Colombians are a mix of all three ethnicities. In addition, significant minorities of Colombians of Middle Eastern descent, notably Syrian and Lebanese, also compose Colombian society.
Cultural traditions in the United States
The main musical interests are vallenato, salsa and cumbia. The vast majority of Colombians are Roman Catholic; younger Colombians are significantly more secular than the older generation.
Colombian food is highly varied. Popular dishes are bandeja paisa, sancocho (stew), empanadas (meat-filled turnovers), pandebono (a type of cheese-bread), and arepa (corncake). Colombian food is popular and well-known in Queens County. The main pastime of Colombians in the United States is soccer, Colombian Americans raised in the United States will continue to follow soccer. Like most immigrants raised in the United Sates some children will seek american sports. Another popular pastime, especially among the older generation, is parques.
See also
Afro-Colombian
Colombian diaspora
External links
everyculture.com Colombian Americans
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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Colombian American
